I have been examining the possibility that the attack on April 4, 2017 hit an ammunition dump as claimed by the Russians. Videos taken on the morning of the attack of the explosive debris clouds from four targets that were hit provide strong circumstantial evidence that this Russian explanation could be true. One of the clouds is quite distinctly different from all the others – with a base-area of the debris cloud stem that covers an area five or more times larger than the cloud-stem bases of the other bomb debris clouds.

This is consistent with the possibility that this debris cloud was created by an initial explosion followed by a series of secondary explosions – a situation that would be expected if the site was in fact an ammunition dump.

I have also looked up data on poisonous gases that could be generated by the combustion of plastics and photographs of the dead and dying from the Bhopal, India chemical accident of December 2/3, 1984. Many of the apparent symptoms of the victims from the Bhopal catastrophe are similar in appearance to those observed in victims of the Khan Sheikhoun attack.

In Bhopal, the gases released were not only extremely toxic, but they were also capable of burning the skin and eyes. The immediate and most deadly effect of these gases was when they were inhaled. The gases reacted with water in the lungs and created a large generation of fluids that caused victims to drown in their own lung fluids. This effect led to some victims showing foaming at the mouth and nose – an effect that can be generated from many toxic gases and is not unique to nerve agent.

There is no apparent evidence of burns from caustic gases in the pictures of alleged victims from the Khan Sheikhoun event. However, the case of Bhopal is distinctly different because of a particular pesticide component that was released during the accident. There is no doubt that very dangerous materials like phosgene, carbonyl chloride, hydrogen cyanide and a variety of highly toxic and dangerous organic compounds can be produced by a simple mass fire that simply involves plastics. One could expect a considerably more toxic release of gases if an ammunition dump was hit where a variety of chemicals could be stored, including precursors for the production of nerve agents.

This is not proof that the Russian explanation for a mass poisoning is correct, but given that there is no evidence to support the American alternative explanation of a sarin release from an airdropped munition at a site identified by the White House Intelligence Report, this additional data does provide some information that is relevant to the ongoing discussions on this matter.

Images of Poisoned Victims from the Gas Release from a Chemical Pesticide Plant in Bhopal, India on December 2/3, 1984

Evidence of Bomb Hit on Possible Ammunition and Chemical Storage Site

Summary of Toxic Gases That Can Be Created from Combusting Plastics – Does Not Include Toxic Gases That Can Be Created from Other Materials Released in Accompanying Explosions

Theodore A. Postol is a professor emeritus of science, technology, and national security policy at MIT. Postol’s main expertise is in ballistic missiles. He has a substantial background in air dispersal, including how toxic plumes move in the air. Postol has taught courses on weapons of mass destruction – including chemical and biological threats – at MIT. Before joining MIT, Postol worked as an analyst at the Office of Technology Assessment, as a science and policy adviser to the chief of naval operations, and as a researcher at Argonne National Laboratory. He also helped build a program at Stanford University to train mid-career scientists to study weapons technology in relation to defense and arms control policy. Postol is a highly-decorated scientist, receiving the Leo Szilard Prize from the American Physical Society, the Hilliard Roderick Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Richard L. Garwin Award from the Federation of American Scientists.

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